
Here’s a prayer of praise for this Sunday’s lectionary readings (C of E). I’m leading worship on Saturday for a Pioneering Parishes taster day with the Diocese of Bristol and this piece of writing arrived:
Praise to you, Jesus of Nazareth
Local boy unrecognised
Not a member of the popular set
Coming from nowhere in particular
Israel’s Basingstoke, East coast fen, passed over mining town.
Praise to you, Jesus of Nazareth
Praise to you, Fulfiller of prophecy
Disrupter of the status quo
Speaker of uncomfortable truth
Directing attention towards those who are not yet present at the feast.
Praise to you, Fulfiller of prophecy
Praise to you, Bringer of change
Catalyst of wholeness
Lock picker of closed doors
Provider of new lenses
Calling everyone from death to life: from isolation, competition, addiction, fear.
Praise to you, Bringer of change
Praise to you, Creator of newness
Original storyteller
Improviser from what comes to hand
Initiator, re-imaginer and sustainer of traditions
Praise to you, Creator of newness
We come to You, seeking the gifts we need from the No One of Nazareth who picked the lock of death and opened the door to newness, life, and change.
We silently name these gifts now: those we seek for ourselves and for our congregations.
(Picture by Ariel on Unsplash)